Pingtan

The city of Pingtan straddles the boundary between the East and South China Seas, just across the straits from Taiwan. The islands in the region are called the “Maldives of China”, but I have no clue why. It’s an attractive area but nothing like the Maldives in appearance.

Our destination for the day was the Haitian Ancient Town, a construction in the architectural style of traditional China, particularly of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the town is the Haitian Coastal Defense Museum, which includes maritime exhibits and, as the name implies, the history of the defense of the area from pirates and other invaders.

Sights in route to Haitian Ancient Town. No post this cruise is complete without a picture of a city’s modern architecture.

What do you notice in these pictures of the entrance to the town? Few people. The town was constructed ten years ago with the intent of attracting Taiwanese to visit. About the time the construction was complete, relations with Taiwan deteriorated. If privately developed, undoubtedly the developers went bankrupt. Just as assuredly, the government must be keeping the complex afloat.

The righthand picture is the museum we visited.

Closeups of facade detail

Street sculptures

Left: A sedan chair

Left: A full sized warship. Right: A wagon. The exhibits included beautifully constructed models of warships from the various nations involved in Chinese coastal combat. As a wooden ship model constructor, I was envious of the builders’ talents.

Armor and clothing, not reproductions

War planners at work

Left: A canal in the town. Right: It was a hot day, so we made use of some of our yuans. Two healthy servings? About 80 cents each.

Our ship continues north. The next port? Dongtou.